Spring Dreaming

I've said here several times over the last year or so that I had zero hopes of our country electing a black man president in my lifetime. Or anytime soon, at least. Now with Obama about to come shooting out of this log flume of a Democratic race, it looks like I'm about to be proven wrong. And while I'm still frustrated that it looks like about half the country will still insist on voting Oliver Twist-style for Bush III, and my cynicism reminds me that it took an absolute wrecking ball job of things by Bush to get a lot of people to say "fuck it, I'll even take a black guy," I find now is the time to turn myself over to a little bit (a LITTLE bit!) of optimism, a la the UG. Fuck it, it's finally warming up outside. It's refreshing to think that soon we will have a President who may be the smartest person in the room and yet tries to fill the room with even smarter people, no matter their party lines or "loyalty." IE "frat buddies." It's refreshing to think of a President we won't have to be prepared to wince with embarrassment while he's trying to speak in public. It's refreshing to think about having a President you don't hafta worry about using the only-for-display towels in foreign country bathrooms. It's refreshing to think about getting the biggest spring-cleaning job in the history of the country.

Of course my pessimism (and zero faith in the American voter) comes creeping back when I think of this video below, how back in 2004 I thought music (and musicians) could literally change the world. And we blew it. Now I'm trying to look at it all over again with refreshed eyes, thanks to Obama. And it's working, some rays of optimism are cleaning out my own pores...when all of a sudden I notice, for the very first time after having seen the thing 25 fucking times, that Eddie Vedder is wearing, of all things, a Johnny Ramone t-shirt. Not a Ramones tee, but a Johnny Ramone one. Johnny. The biggest George Bush lover of them all. From the grave, they're trying to get us!!! From the grave!!

Aw, fuck 'em all - open up the windows, hit "play" and then close your eyes: spring's coming in only 8 months!